Traction elements for athletic shoes and methods of manufacture thereof

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments for a traction element used with athletic shoes having a stud body with a metal insert that extends axially from the stud body and methods for manufacturing such traction elements are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application that claims benefit to U.S.non-provisional application Ser. No. 16/290,460 filed on Mar. 1, 2019,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to traction elements for shoes,and in particular to traction elements for athletic shoes having areduced weight and methods of manufacturing such traction elements.

BACKGROUND

Traction elements for athletic shoes are used to provide a grippingsurface that produces traction between the sole of the shoe and theathletic surface, such as a grass field. Typically, traction elementsfor athletic shoes used in sports, such as rugby, use metal studs madeof a metallic material to accommodate the high shear forces applied tothe metal studs during play. However, there is a desire for a tractionelement that also reduces the weight of the traction element while stillmeeting all of the performance, shape specifications and materialrequirements required by various official sports authorities.

It is with these observations in mind, among others, that variousaspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a tractionelement showing the stud body and metal insert;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the traction element of FIG. 1showing the metal insert extending from the interior cavity of the studbody;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the traction element of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the traction element of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the traction element of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the traction element of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the traction element taken alongline 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a second traction element showing ametal insert engaged within an interior cavity of a stud body;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the metal insert of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views of the metal insert of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second traction element showing ametal insert engaged within an interior cavity of a stud body;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the metal insert of FIG. 11;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views of the metal insert of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a second traction element showing ametal insert engaged within an interior cavity of a stud body;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the metal insert of FIG. 14; and

FIGS. 16A and 16B are perspective views of the metal insert of FIG. 14.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements amongthe view of the drawings. The headings used in the figures do not limitthe scope of the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments for traction elements used for athletic shoes aredisclosed herein. In some embodiments, the traction elements havereduced weight while still meeting existing industry performancestandards for athletic shoes. In some embodiments, the traction elementincludes a stud body defining an interior cavity with a metal insertthat is cast to the stud body and extends outwardly from the interiorcavity and a stabilizer disc engaged with the metal insert and withinthe internal cavity. In some embodiments, the traction element includesa stud body defining an interior cavity and a metal insert that ismechanically coupled within the stud body and extends outwardly from theinterior cavity. In some embodiments, the metal insert of the tractionelement is configured to be coupled to the sole of an athletic shoe forproviding traction. In some embodiments, the stabilizer disc is providedthat is engaged within the interior cavity of the stud body and themetal insert such that the metal insert is stabilized against laterallydirected forces by the stabilizer disc. In some embodiments, a method ofmanufacturing the traction element such that the metal insert is eithercast to the stud body or mechanically coupled to the stud body prior tobeing engaged to the sole of an athletic shoe is disclosed. In oneaspect, the traction element meets the current standards required ofofficial governing sports bodies, such as the ROC, which governsinternational rugby regarding the performance, shape and materialrequirements set for athletic equipment, such as rugby studs used inathletic shoes including the traction element described herein.Referring to the drawings, various embodiments of a traction elementused with athletic shoes are illustrated and generally indicated as 100in FIGS. 1-7 and 200 in FIGS. 8-16.

Referring to FIGS. 1-7, a first embodiment of the traction element,designed 100, is illustrated. In some embodiments, the traction element100 includes a stud body 102 having a generally thimble-shaped bodyconfigured to provide traction and gripping strength along a groundsurface when attached to the sole of an athletic shoe. In someembodiments, the stud body 102 includes a metal insert 104 that is castto the stud body 102 during manufacture and is aligned along thelongitudinal axis A of the stud body 102. The metal insert 104 isconfigured to mechanically couple the traction element 100 to the soleof an athletic shoe (not shown). The traction element 100 furtherincludes a stabilizer disc 106 for engagement with the stud body 102 andthe metal insert 104 to provide stability to the metal insert 104 withinthe stud body 102. Referring specifically to FIGS. 2-4 and 6 and 7, thestud body 102 defines a distal head portion 110 and a proximal endportion 112. In some embodiments, the proximal end portion 112 of thestud body 102 gradually tapers away from the distal head portion 110 andforms a peripheral flange 122 that defines an opening 118 incommunication with an interior cavity 120 formed within the stud body102 during manufacture. As further shown, the distal head portion 110defines a top end 116 of the traction element 100 that is configured toprovide a traction surface along the sole of an athletic shoe (notshown) when the traction element 100 engages the ground or otherathletic surface.

Referring to FIG. 7, in some embodiments the metal insert 104 is made ofsteel and/or aluminum that forms an elongated body 125 defining a distalhead portion 130, which is cast to the stud body 102 during manufacture.In addition, the distal head portion 130 communicates with a shaftportion 131 of the metal insert 104 that extends between the distal capportion 130 and a proximal threaded portion 132 of the metal insert 104.As shown, the proximal threaded portion 130 defines external threads 135configured to couple with internal threads (not shown) formed withineach respective threaded engagement point defined along the sole of anathletic shoe (not shown).

In some embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the stabilizer disc 106 maybe made of steel and/or aluminum that forms a first surface 136A, asecond surface 136B, an exterior surface 135, and an internal surface134 which circumferentially defines an aperture 133. The stabilizer disc106 is configured to provide stability to the metal insert 104 withinthe interior cavity 120 of the stud body 102 when engaged with the metalinsert 104 and pressed into opening 118 of the stud body 102. Duringmanufacture, the stabilizer disc 106 is engaged with the shaft portion131 of the metal insert 104 by inserting the stabilizer disc 106 withinthe opening 118 of the stud body 102 such that the proximal threadedportion 132 of the metal insert 104 is inserted through the aperture133. The stabilizer disc 106 becomes engaged within the interior cavity120 of the stud body 102 by inserting the proximal threaded portion 132of the metal insert 104 through the aperture 133 of the stabilizer disc106 such that the stabilizer disc 106 is pushed into the opening 118 ofthe stud body 102 causing the exterior surface 135 of the stabilizerdisc 106 to contact the surface of the interior cavity 120 in apress-fit engagement. When fully engaged, the aperture 133 of thestabilizer disc 106 is located distal to the proximal threaded portion132 of the shaft portion 131 of the metal insert 104 and the exteriorsurface 135 comes into contact with the surface of the interior cavity120 of the stud body 102 and is held in place by friction. In operation,the stabilizer disc 106 serves to prevent the metal insert 104 frombending or becoming otherwise misaligned within the interior cavity 120of the stud body 102, especially when exterior forces are applied to thestud body 102.

As shown specifically in FIGS. 4 and 5, in some embodiments a pluralityof cutaways 114 may be formed axially along the outer surface of thestud body 102. The plurality of cutaways 114 may be collectivelyconfigured to receive a driving tool (not shown), such as a cleatwrench, that engages each respective cutaway 114 such that rotation ofthe cleat wrench causes the stud body 102 to be manually rotated as themetal insert 104 becomes fully engaged to the threaded engagement pointalong the sole of the athletic shoe. Referring specifically to FIG. 5,in some embodiments the stud body 102 may define three respectivecutaways, 114A, 114B and 114C that each extend a distance axially alongthe surface of proximal end portion 112 of the stud body 102 and arespaced equidistantly relative to each other at a 120 degree angle. Inother embodiments, two or more cutaways 114 may be formed to engage thecleat wrench when securing the traction element 100 to the sole of theathletic shoe. In some embodiments, each cutaway 114 forms an elongatedslot configuration forming a base proximate the peripheral flange 122 ofthe stud body 102 that extends the length of the proximal end portion112 and gradually tapers to an apex formed at the top of each cutaway114. In other embodiments, the plurality of cutaways 114 may define atriangularly-shaped slot, a rectangular-shaped slot, asymmetrically-shaped slot, an asymmetrically-shaped slot, acircular-shaped slot, or a combination thereof.

In one method of manufacturing the traction element 100, the stud body102 may be first cast from a metallic material, such as aluminum, inwhich the metal insert 104 is directly cast to the stud body 102 suchthat the proximal threaded portion 132 of the metal insert 104 extendspartially outward from the cast of the stud body 102. The interiorcavity 120 is formed inside the stud body 102 by coring out the interiorportion of the stud body 102 around the metal insert 104 to form theinterior cavity 120 and opening 118. In some embodiments, the pluralityof cutaways 114 are formed when the stud body 102 is cast within a mold,or in the alterative, the plurality of cutaways 114 may be machined outalong the surface of the proximal end portion 112 after the cast of thestud body 102 is allowed to sufficiently cool. The method ofmanufacturing the traction element 100 as disclosed herein provides astrong structural connection between the stud body 102 and the metalinsert 104 such that shear forces applied to the traction element 100during use do not cause the metal insert 104 to break, bend or twistrelative to the stud body 102.

In one aspect, the coring out of stud body 102 to form the interiorcavity 120 during manufacture reduces the overall weight of the tractionelement 100 while still allowing the traction element 100 to meet allperformance, shape specifications and material requirements required ofa conventional traction element.

In some embodiments, the traction element 100 may be manufactured withthe following dimensions used during manufacture. Referring to FIG. 4,the stud body 102 may have an overall length 400 of 20.8 mm and a width402 of 19.4 mm. As further shown, the distal head portion 110 of thestud body 102 may have a width 404 of 11.9 mm and a length 406 of 4 mm,while the proximal end portion 112 of the stud body 102 may have alength 408 of 16.8 mm and a width 402 of 20.8 mm. Referring back to FIG.7, the interior cavity 120 of the stud body 102 may have a length 410 of14.6 mm and the opening 118 of the interior cavity 120 may have a length414 of 9.0 mm. After the metal insert 104 is cast with the stud body102, the proximal threaded portion 132 of the metal insert 104 iscentered along the longitudinal axis A of the stud body 102 and extendsoutwardly from the opening 118 of the stud body 102 at a distance 412 of6.0 mm. The present disclosure contemplates that the dimensions of thestud body 102 and the metal insert 104 may vary to accommodate differentshapes and sizes of traction elements used for different types ofathletic shoes.

Referring to FIGS. 8-16, a traction element 200 is illustrated having avariety of lengths. In particular, FIGS. 8-10 show traction element 200Ahaving a length of 15 mm, FIGS. 11-13B show traction element 200B havinga length of 18 mm, and FIGS. 14-16B show traction element 200C having alength of 21 mm, however the traction element 100/200 is not limited tothese lengths. Referring to FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the tractionelement 200A includes a stud body 202A having a generally thimble-shapedbody configured to provide traction and gripping strength along a groundsurface when attached to the sole of an athletic shoe. In someembodiments, the stud body 202A is engaged with a metal insert 204A thatis aligned along the longitudinal axis A of the stud body 202A. Themetal insert 204A is configured to mechanically couple the tractionelement 200A to the sole of an athletic shoe (not shown). The stud body202A defines a distal head portion 210 and a proximal end portion 212.In some embodiments, the proximal end portion 212 of the stud body 202Agradually tapers away from the distal head portion 210 and forms aperipheral flange 222 that defines an opening 218 in communication withan interior cavity 220 formed within the stud body 202A duringmanufacture. As further shown, the distal head portion 210 defines a topend 216 of the traction element 200 that is configured to provide atraction surface along the sole of an athletic shoe (not shown) when thetraction element 100 engages the ground or other athletic surface.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, in some embodiments the metal insert 204A ismade of steel and/or aluminum that forms an elongated body 225 defininga distal head portion 230 and a proximal threaded portion 232. Inaddition, the distal head portion 230 communicates with a shaft portion231A of the metal insert 204A that extends between the distal headportion 230 and the proximal threaded portion 232 of the metal insert204A. As shown, the metal insert 204A includes a shoulder 240 which isseated within the stud body 202A of the traction element 200A. As shown,the proximal threaded portion 232 defines external threads 235configured to couple with internal threads (not shown) formed withineach respective threaded engagement point defined along the sole of anathletic shoe (not shown). The distal head portion 230 includes aplurality of ridges 242 to prevent rotation of the metal insert 204Awithin the stud body 202A.

Similarly, FIGS. 11 and 14 show respective traction elements 200B and200C having elongated stud bodies 202A and 202B. As shown in FIGS.11-12B, the traction element 200B is similar to traction element 200A(FIG. 8) with the exception that the stud body 202B is lengthened incomparison to the stud body 202A. In addition, a metal insert 204Bhaving an elongated shaft portion 231B of is also lengthened incomparison to the shaft portion 231A of traction element 204A.

FIGS. 14-16 also illustrate the traction element 200C having anelongated stud body 202C and a metal insert 204C having an elongatedshaft portion 231C. The stud body 202C and shaft portion 231C of thetraction element 200C are lengthened in comparison to that of thetraction elements 200A and 200B.

Overall, the traction elements 100 and 200 have been shown in to providea 20% weight savings over the same class of traditional tractionelements, such as rugby studs. In addition, the traction elements 100and 200 meet or exceed all IRB specifications required for officialapproval and qualification for use in events while weighing 20% lessthan traditional traction elements.

The manufacturing of the traction elements 100 and 200 in the correctshape and materials have been made for over 50 years with the sameapproach and same resulting weight. The traction elements 100 and 200meet all of the IRB requirement of shape, materials, strength, design,and delivers everything at 20% less weight. These characteristics oftraction elements 100 and 200 provide performance benefits for theathletes by having lighter weight athletic having the traction elements100 and 200.

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularembodiments have been illustrated and described, various modificationscan be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changesand modifications are within the scope and teachings of this inventionas defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a traction elementcomprising: casting a stud body, the stud body having a distal headportion and a proximal end portion; coring out the proximal end portionof the stud body to form an interior cavity; driving a metal insert intothe interior cavity of the stud body such that the metal insert cutsinto an interior surface of the interior cavity to securely engage themetal insert with the stud body; and inserting a stabilizer disc intothe interior cavity of the stud body such that an aperture formed by thestabilizer disc engages the metal insert.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the metal insert comprises a distal head portion, a proximalthreaded portion and a plurality of drive grippers extending radiallyoutward from the proximal threaded portion adjacent the distal headportion.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein driving the metal insert intothe interior cavity comprises engaging the plurality of drive gripperswith a driving tool and rotating the metal insert into the interiorcavity.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of drivegrippers comprises a plurality of radially extending arms.
 5. The methodof claim 2, wherein the distal head portion forms a standard or reversethread head configured for cutting into a surface of the stud body whenengaging the metal insert with the stud body.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the stabilizer disc is inserted into the proximal end of theinterior cavity such that an exterior surface of the stabilizer disccontacts a surface of the interior cavity in a press-fit engagement. 7.A traction element comprising; a cored out stud body defining aninterior cavity, a distal head portion, and a proximal end portion, thestud body configured to be attached to a sole of a shoe; and theinterior cavity of the cored out stud body comprising a light weightfiller material; a metal insert coupled to the stud body, the metalinsert extending axially from the stud body; and a stabilizer discengaged with the metal insert and disposed within a proximal end portionof the interior cavity such that an exterior surface of the stabilizerdisc contacts a surface of the interior cavity in a press-fitengagement.
 8. The traction element of claim 7, wherein the stabilizerdisc comprises a ring-shaped body defining an exterior surface and aninterior surface forming an aperture, wherein the metal insert isdisposed through the aperture of the stabilizer disc such that thestabilizer disc is pushed into the interior cavity of the stud bodycausing the exterior surface of the stabilizer disc to contact thesurface of the interior cavity in a press-fit engagement.
 9. Thetraction element of claim 7, wherein the stud body is thimble shaped,the thimble shaped configured to provide traction and gripping strengthalong a ground surface.
 10. The traction element of claim 7, wherein themetal insert is configured to mechanically couple the traction elementto the sole of the shoe.
 11. The traction element of claim 7, whereinthe proximal end portion of the stud body tapers away from the distalhead portion and forms a peripheral flange that defines an opening incommunication with an interior cavity formed within the stud body. 12.The traction element of claim 6, wherein the metal insert comprises atleast a steel or aluminum material.
 13. The traction element of claim 7,wherein a plurality of cutaways may be formed axially along an outersurface of the stud body, the plurality of cutaways collectivelyconfigured to receive a driving tool.
 14. The traction element of claim7, wherein each of the plurality of cutaways define an elongated slotconfiguration forming a base proximate to a peripheral flange of thestud body.
 15. The traction element of claim 7, wherein the plurality ofcutaways define at least one of a triangularly-shaped slot, arectangular shaped slot, a symmetrically shaped slot, an asymmetricallyshaped slot, and a circular shaped slot.
 16. The traction element ofclaim 7, wherein the metal insert is cast to the stud body.
 17. Thetraction element of claim 7, wherein the metal insert is mechanicallycoupled to the stud body.